Without Warning
by Sassafrass86
Summary: A verbal game of ping-pong between Carter, Abby, and Susan causes Carter to rethink his relationships with both women.
1. Saying Goodbye

Disclaimer: I've said it before and I'll say it again: Noah Wyle SIZZLES in the movie Enough, so go check it out! He's…how can I put this? FREAKIN' ADORABLE! Anyway, I don't own Carter or Noah, unfortunately, but I do control what he does in my fics. I also don't own anyone else on ER and none of these ideas will end up on ER…well, at least I don't think they will. Oh yeah, and I don't own "Papercut" by Linkin Park or "Warning" by Incubus.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
"Come on, Abby, I need that Haldol," John Carter exclaimed, trying to restrain the thrashing patient before him along with the assistance of Michael Gallant, Gregory Pratt, and Dr. Luka Kovac.  
  
"I'm working on it," Abby Lockhart replied, quickly grabbing the syringe from her fellow nurse, Haleh, and handing it to Carter. She watched as he injected the Haldol into the patient and all in the room breathed a sigh of relief when the patient stopped moving.  
  
"Okay, let's get him up to the OR," Carter ordered.  
  
"Right," Luka replied, walking with Haleh toward the elevators.  
  
  
  
"Good job with that central line, Michael," Carter praised to his student on their way out of the trauma room.  
  
The young med student beamed. "Thank you, Dr. Carter."  
  
Carter smiled, but it quickly faded.  
  
"It was a rookie's job," Pratt commented arrogantly.  
  
Carter shot a warning glance at the intern, who shrugged in reply.  
  
"Don't listen to him, Gallant, he doesn't know the difference between a scalpel and a syringe," Abby put in, saving the med student's dignity.  
  
Carter's smile returned.  
  
"Yes, I do!" Pratt said defensively.  
  
"Shut up, Pratt," Carter told him. "Go find a patient or something."  
  
Pratt sighed exasperatedly, but obeyed him and walked away.  
  
Carter turned back to Michael. "Really, Gallant, you did a good job."  
  
Michael gave him a tight smile. "Thanks," he said again. "I think I'm going to go find a patient as well."  
  
He turned and walked to Chairs.  
  
  
  
Carter looked at Abby as they reached the admit desk. "Why can't all med students be like him?" he wondered out loud.  
  
"Because," Abby replied, "that would mean life would be easier. And we both know that life hates us."  
  
Carter laughed. "How could I forget?"  
  
An awkward silence filled the gap between them and stood next to each other, looking around the ER.  
  
"Uh, hey, Frank, Jerry, when does Dr. Weaver get on?" Carter asked to break the silence.  
  
"I don't know and I don't care," Frank replied sourly, going back to doing whatever it was he was doing on the computer.  
  
"Five," Jerry called to him before going back to speaking with someone on the phone.  
  
"Thank you," Carter called back.  
  
"You need her for something?" Abby asked.  
  
"Huh? Oh, no, I was just wondering," he replied.  
  
The nurse nodded in understanding. Carter turned his attention to Jerry's phone conversation.  
  
  
  
"No, sir, you don't understand, this is not a private line…no, I can't let you do that, sir, I…sir, I understand that this is important, but I cannot allow you to talk to him on this phone line. Sir, he's right here, if you'd like I can tell to call you back right now so we can both be happy…yes, okay, he'll be right with you in a moment."  
  
Jerry hung up and sighed in relief. He turned the to the curious Chief Resident.  
  
"Hey, Carter, some guy named uh…Albert or uh…" Jerry started.  
  
"Alger?" Carter prodded, standing up straight.  
  
"Yeah, that's it. Anyway, he said he has something urgent to tell you and he needs you to call him back right now," the desk clerk finished.  
  
"Okay…uh, I'll be in the Lounge then," Carter excused himself.  
  
He walked to the Lounge and walked to his locker to get his cell phone. He dialed the number to the mansion and waited for Alger to pick up.  
  
  
  
"Hello? Alger? It's John, what's going on?" he asked immediately. He waited for a few minutes and he took in a deep breath. "What did you say?"  
  
As Alger repeated himself, Carter gave a barely audible wheeze. He slowly made his way to the couch, his legs close to tumbling beneath him. He fell onto the couch and closed his eyes.  
  
"Uh, yes, Alger, I'm still here. Yes, I'll be there as soon as I can. Okay, see you soon."  
  
He turned his phone off and walked back to his locker. He pulled out his coat and after closing the metal door, he leaned against it and rubbed his temples. He took another deep breath and walked out of the Lounge.  
  
  
  
"Jerry, I'll be back soon, I have to go home for a little while," Carter said to him as he walked by.  
  
"Hey, wait, Carter…" Jerry called to him, but trailed off when the doctor walked out the door.  
  
Abby came walking up next to him and looked up at the bulky desk clerk. "What happened?" she asked.  
  
Jerry shrugged. "I have no idea."  
  
  
  
Carter pulled into the garage at the mansion and walked through the front door. Alger came into the parlor to meet him.  
  
"Master John," Alger greeted sadly.  
  
"Alger," Carter replied quietly. "She's still upstairs, I assume?"  
  
Alger nodded. "Of course, Master John."  
  
Carter gave him a solemn, small smile before making his way up the flight of stairs. He stopped at her room and looked in. He bit his lip at the sight of her, trying his best to hold back the tears he knew would later come. He slowly walked toward her bedside and when he reached it he peered down at the same face he had seen every day of his childhood. He reached down to stroke her white hair and leaned down to kiss her kind, wrinkled face.  
  
"I'm sorry, Gamma," Carter whispered to her. "I'm sorry I wasn't here. I'll love you, Gamma. And I'll miss you."  
  
He leaned down to give his grandmother one last kiss. He walked away from her now peaceful body and walked back down the stairs where Alger was waiting for him.  
  
  
  
"Alger, can you call the funeral home, please?" John requested.  
  
"Yes, Master John. But where are you going?" Alger inquired.  
  
"I have a shift to finish," he replied, starting to walk out the door. "I'll be back in a few hours."  
  
"Yes, sir. Er, Master John?" Alger called.  
  
Carter turned. "Yes?"  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Carter smiled at the butler. "Thank you, Alger."  
  
Alger nodded and Carter walked back to his car. He pulled out of the garage and drove back to the hospital. He thought about his grandmother throughout his entire drive and it took all his will power not to cry. He parked in his space and trudged back into the ER. He slowly walked past his co- workers who looked up at him with concern, having no clue as to why he looked so depressed. He walked straight into Curtain Three and turned off all the lights.  
  
  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Why does it feel like night today?  
  
Something in here's not right today  
  
Why am I so uptight today?  
  
Paranoia's all I got left  
  
I don't know what stressed me first  
  
Or how the pressure was fed but  
  
I know just what it feels like  
  
To have a voice in the back of my head  
  
It's like a face that I hold inside  
  
A face that awakes when I close my eyes  
  
A face watches every time I lie  
  
A face that laughs every time I fall  
  
(And watches everything)  
  
So I know that when it's time to sink or swim  
  
That the face inside is hearing me right underneath my skin  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Susan watched as Carter walked into the exam room and became even more concerned when she saw the lights go out. She turned to Abby who shrugged and looked back at the room. She looked down at her patient and realized that he had fallen asleep. She shook her head and stood up.  
  
"Where are you going?" Abby asked her colleague.  
  
"To check on Carter," Susan replied, walking to the room.  
  
She opened the door and walked in. She reached for the lights, but heard Carter's voice.  
  
"Can you leave them off for a minute?" he asked.  
  
"Uh, sure," she replied, blinking a few times to get her eyes used to the light. She saw the outline of Carter's body hunched down on the floor. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Not really," Carter replied. His voice sounded strangely…off. It wasn't his usual tone, which confused Susan.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
She didn't get an answer to the question.  
  
"Isn't it funny," Carter began, "how a piece of sharp metal can just rip away a person's life?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Susan asked.  
  
"I mean like a simple kitchen knife. One minute, it can be intended for something as simple as cutting a cake. The next, it causes the death of an innocent young woman."  
  
Susan sighed to herself, realizing what he was talking about. "It didn't ruin only one person's life."  
  
"See, that's where you're wrong. Death is worse than life."  
  
"Is it worse than living your life as a hell?"  
  
"My life isn't complete hell, Susan. But you're missing the point."  
  
"And what's your point?"  
  
"A little piece of sharp metal…" Carter said again.  
  
Susan couldn't take the darkness anymore and reached over to flip on the lights. She turned to look at Carter and gasped when she saw him slumped against a bed and examining a 10' blade.  
  
"Carter, what are you doing?" she asked cautiously.  
  
He looked up at her and looked back at the scalpel. He traced the dull side of the blade.  
  
"I could end my life right now," he mused.  
  
"Carter…" Susan started.  
  
"You know, this is the room where I was stabbed," he told her, cutting her off.  
  
Susan looked around, realizing that it was true. Curtain Three.  
  
"It was right about where you're standing right now," he continued.  
  
Susan narrowed her eyes, beginning to feel a little uncomfortable.  
  
"I didn't really know what was going on at first, actually. I remember feeling this sharp pain in my back, but I didn't realize what it was. I remember reaching back, trying to figure out what happened…when I pulled my hand away, I saw the blood. Then I started to put two and two together." He gave a small laugh. "I fell. I called for help and then I fell. The music was so loud nobody could hear me, so…I tried to get up, but I just fell again. I seem to be good at doing that."  
  
He paused and Susan looked at him. He looked her in the eye.  
  
"I saw her, Susan. I will never forget seeing her face at that moment," he told her, tears clouding his eyes. "She looked like she was in so much pain…her neck was covered in blood…but that's all I remember. I mean, until the next time I woke up. God, Susan…why was I such an idiot. If it wasn't for me, it wouldn't have happened."  
  
Susan shook her head and started to reply, but Carter held up his hand.  
  
"I know what you're going to say," he said. He paused again. He put the blade he held back on the tray that was sitting next to him. "Gamma died today."  
  
Susan gasped. She kneeled down in front of her ailing friend and colleague. "Oh, Carter…I'm so sorry."  
  
She reached toward him to touch his face. He began to sob and she grabbed his hand. She pulled him close and let him cry on her shoulder.  
  
"Shhh…it'll be okay, John, it'll be okay," Susan assured, stroking his hair. "You're going to be okay."  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Bat your eyes girl  
  
Be otherworldly  
  
Count your blessings  
  
Seduce a stranger  
  
What's so wrong with  
  
Being happy  
  
Kudos to those who  
  
See through sickness  
  
When she woke in the morning  
  
She knew that her life had passed her by  
  
And she called out a warning  
  
Don't ever let life pass you by  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 


	2. Curveball #2

Disclaimer: Oh, like you DON'T know what I'm going to say!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
"Yeah? Well I heard that he saw someone on the street get stabbed or something and it made him go over the edge," Randi whispered to her fellow gossip sisters, the nurses. Chuny, Haleh, Randi, and Lily were talking amongst themselves about Carter's depression period.  
  
  
  
Susan walked by and heard Chuny wonder out loud what the real reason behind him hiding out in the darkness of Curtain Three was actually all about. Susan paused and looked at the nurses and the desk clerk.  
  
"How did you guys find out about that anyway?" the doctor asked the group.  
  
The four other women turned to her, startled that she had heard their conversation.  
  
"Uh, well, Abby kind of told us that she saw him walk in there and turn off the lights," Chuny stammered.  
  
"Abby, huh? Well, I don't think that it's any of your business," Susan told them.  
  
"So do you know why he went in there?" Lily asked.  
  
Susan contemplated her question. "Listen, it doesn't matter if I know or not, we shouldn't be bothering him about this."  
  
"Who said anything about bothering him?" Randi asked. "We're just trying to get the truth."  
  
"There's no truth in gossiping," Susan lectured.  
  
Randi raised an eyebrow. Susan sighed and bit her lip in frustration.  
  
"You do know, don't you Dr. Lewis," Haleh prodded.  
  
"It's none of your business," Susan repeated before walking away.  
  
"What's her problem?" Randi asked as soon as Susan was out of earshot. The nurses shrugged.  
  
  
  
"Okay, Lila, this is going to sting just a little…" Carter said to the little girl he was treating.  
  
Lila gave a small whimper as Carter started on her stitches. Carter smiled at the reaction he was expecting.  
  
"Don't worry, it'll be over before you know it," he assured her.  
  
"Are you sure she'll be okay, doctor?" the young girl's pacing mother asked.  
  
Carter looked up for a moment. "Yes, ma'am, she'll be fine. You just need to come back in about a week so we can take the sutures out."  
  
The woman let out a sigh of relief and sat down on a bed in the exam room. The door opened and Carter looked up to see whom it was.  
  
"Hey, Carter, when you're done in here, you want to get something to eat?" Susan asked.  
  
"Uh, sure, I guess," Carter replied, continuing with the sutures.  
  
"Okay…well, I'll be waiting," she told him.  
  
"Uh-huh," Carter grunted in reply.  
  
Susan closed the door and walked away.  
  
"Who was that?" the mother asked.  
  
"Oh, it was another doctor, Mrs. Curtis," Carter informed her.  
  
"Are you two…you know…involved?" she asked.  
  
Carter smiled and shook his head. "No, no we're not," he replied.  
  
"Oh," she said quietly.  
  
Carter cleared his throat and ruffled Lila's hair. "Well, Lila, we're all done here," he told her.  
  
She looked up at him with her wide, blue eyes. "Really?"  
  
"We sure are," Carter answered brightly. "You were very brave."  
  
"Say thank you to Doctor Carter," Mrs. Curtis reminded her beaming daughter.  
  
"Thank you, Dr. Carter!" she exclaimed happily.  
  
Carter laughed. "It was my pleasure. Now, I'll see you in a week, okay?"  
  
The little girl nodded and stood up. Carter did the same and waved goodbye to the Lila and her mother. He walked out the door and headed toward the admit desk where he spotted Susan. He realized that a few of the doctors and nurses were gathered around the TV and he joined them.  
  
  
  
He nudged Susan's arm and whispered, "What's up?"  
  
"The news is about to do a thing about hospital safety," Susan whispered back.  
  
Carter rolled his eyes and looked up to the screen where a tall, lean, brunette news reporter was standing in a hospital with her microphone in hand.  
  
  
  
"Hello. I'm Adriana Downing from the 10 o' clock Chicago news, reporting live from St. John's Hospital. Today, a heartbreaking attack was forced upon this very medical center. The massacre left many injured, and two dead. This incident may remind some of us of other accidents in different hospitals in the city of Chicago. One that may come to mind is the stabbing that occurred at Cook County General. The stabbing killed third year medical student, Lucy Knight, and brutally injured ER resident, Dr. John Carter…"  
  
  
  
"Turn it off, Jerry," Susan said immediately.  
  
"Yeah, turn it off," Abby agreed.  
  
"Oh, god…" Luka said, rubbing his temples.  
  
  
  
He could feel the eyes of his co-workers…Luka, Abby, Susan, Randi, Chuny, Haleh…all of their eyes were stuck on him. He took a quick glance and Michael and Pratt. They knew the now. They knew…  
  
He had to get away. Away from all of them. He wanted everyone to disappear so he could be alone. He jumped when he felt an arm on his shoulder. It was Susan.  
  
"Come on, Carter," she whispered soothingly. She took a hold of his hand and led him to the Lounge. She sat him down on the couch and plopped down next to him.  
  
  
  
Susan looked at him. He looked so…so… She didn't know how to describe his expression. It was somewhat of a mix among sadness, anger, fear…  
  
She couldn't stand it any longer. She threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a deep hug. He reciprocated and hugged her tightly. When she heard his light sobs, she deepened the hug. She stroked his hair and kissed his forehead. She brought her hand down and wiped away his tears.  
  
"I am so sorry, Carter," she said quietly, holding off tears of her own.  
  
He shook his head. "Hey," he said hoarsely, "it's not like I was having that good of a day anyway."  
  
Susan smiled and they pulled away from each other. Carter took a deep breath and gave a short, wheezing laugh.  
  
"I'm sorry," he told her, wiping his eyes.  
  
"There's no need to be," Susan assured.  
  
"You are such a good friend," he said gratefully.  
  
"Yeah, well…I care about you," she replied.  
  
"You're amazing," he said with a sniff.  
  
"Well, duh," she joked.  
  
He laughed and took another breath.  
  
"I tried so hard, Susan," he started.  
  
She looked at him. "To do what?" she asked.  
  
"Forget," he replied.  
  
"The accident?" she prodded.  
  
"Well, Dr. DeRaad says it wasn't an accident," he answered, shrugging.  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
He paused. "I think…I think that he didn't really know what he was doing," he admitted.  
  
Susan nodded slowly.  
  
"I wanted to…to make it all go away," he continued, "I wanted everyone to stop asking how I was and be left alone."  
  
"They were worried about you…"  
  
"I didn't want them to be. I just wanted to forget it ever happened, but they wouldn't let me."  
  
"Carter, you will never forget what happened to you. It was a traumatic experience for you and you can't just erase something like that from your mind…"  
  
"I know," he interrupted quietly. "I guess it was just wishful thinking."  
  
He gave her a half smile before going on. "You know, I never thought anything like that could every happen to me. Especially not in a hospital…not where I work."  
  
Susan didn't know how to reply to him. She had nothing reassuring left to say.  
  
"Listen, Carter, I…"  
  
"It's okay, Susan, you don't have to say anything. I just wanted to get it out," Carter said, cutting her off.  
  
"I'm sorry, Carter," Susan finished.  
  
Carter looked at her in surprise.  
  
"Sorry? For what?"  
  
"For not being there for you. I wish I could have been there when you were…when you needed help."  
  
"It's not your fault, Susan. There wouldn't have been anything you could've done."  
  
"I know, but I still wish I could have been there for you."  
  
He gave her a single nod and looked down at his watch.  
  
"Well, I think we should get back to work," he said.  
  
"Are you sure?" Susan asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, are you sure you don't want to take a few more minutes? I'll cover for you if you want to go take a nap or something…"  
  
"Susan, I'll be fine. Really. I've lived with this thing for the past couple of years, I can handle yet another day."  
  
"You're insane."  
  
"Oh, really? And why do you say that?"  
  
"If I were you, I would take sleep over work any day," she joked, standing up.  
  
He stood up with her. "Oh, that's funny."  
  
"Of course it is," she replied.  
  
"Shut up," he said sarcastically, nudging her shoulder.  
  
  
  
As they walked out the door, Carter grabbed Susan's hand and pulled her toward him.  
  
"Thank you, Susan," he said sincerely. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.  
  
She started to blush. "It's okay, Carter. I'll always be here for you."  
  
"I know," he replied.  
  
"Okay, well…I'll see you later," she said, starting to walk away.  
  
"Susan?" Carter called.  
  
She turned. "Yeah?"  
  
"How about we go to Doc Magoo's tomorrow since we didn't get to go today?"  
  
She laughed. "Sure thing, Carter."  
  
She began to walk away again.  
  
"Susan," he called again.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I just want you to know…you being here now? It makes up for you not being there before."  
  
She grinned and he winked at her. She watched him as he made his way down the hall and sighed to herself. He was happy. He was content. And that was all that mattered to her. 


	3. Something's a Little Off...

Disclaimer: Must I repeat myself? I don't own anything or anyone on ER and the storyline will not appear in an upcoming episode.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
"Carter!"  
  
Carter turned at the sound of his name and spotted Abby jogging toward him.  
  
"Hey, do you need something?" he asked.  
  
"Uh, no, I just…I wanted to know if you're okay," she said.  
  
Carter gave her a lopsided smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just a little…well, you know…"  
  
"Shocked?" she offered.  
  
"Right," he confirmed.  
  
They started walking down the hall.  
  
"So…I heard your grandmother died. Is that true?"  
  
Carter looked at her, surprised. "How'd you find out about that?"  
  
"Um, I don't remember…so why didn't you tell me?"  
  
He sighed. "I don't know. I wasn't exactly in the mood for a chat."  
  
"But you talked to Susan," she reminded.  
  
"I know, but she came to me," he replied.  
  
She bit her lip. "So…are you guys…you know, getting back together or something?"  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "No, what makes you think that?"  
  
She shrugged. "I don't know…you seem to be getting closer…"  
  
"Abby, she's one of my best friends," he laughed. "We broke up because we knew we weren't right for each other and we're not going to get back together."  
  
"Okay," she said, nodding.  
  
"Besides, Gamma died a few hours a few hours ago, so…"  
  
"Then what the hell are you still doing here?"  
  
"I still had time left on my shift."  
  
"How much more time do you have now?"  
  
"A couple of hours."  
  
"Why don't you just go home? I'll get Luka or someone to cover for you."  
  
"That's alright, Abby, I…"  
  
"Carter, I really think that…"  
  
"Listen, Abby," he snapped, "I don't want to go home, okay? I just want to do my job and finish what I came back to do. So please, just stop bugging me about it."  
  
Abby's jaw dropped slightly as she watched him continue down the hallway. She turned and came face-to-face with Susan.  
  
  
  
"Hey, Abby," Susan greeted.  
  
"Hey," she replied, still shocked at Carter's mini-rant.  
  
"Listen, can I talk to you for a minute?"  
  
"Sure," Abby agreed, following Susan into the empty suture room.  
  
"I talked to a few of the other nurses earlier and they told me that you talked to them about Carter's…uh, 'thing,'" she said.  
  
"Yeah…so?" Abby asked.  
  
"Well, I don't think that was a very good idea," Susan explained.  
  
"Why, did they say something to Carter?"  
  
"Uh, well, no, but…they were gossiping about it, you know?"  
  
"They always gossip, Susan, it's their nature."  
  
"Yeah, but this isn't something to be spreading rumors about…"  
  
"Look, I'm sorry, but it's not my fault that…"  
  
"I'm not blaming you for it," Susan interrupted. "I'm just saying that if Carter's your friend, you shouldn't be telling people about his situation."  
  
"I didn't even know what the situation was until a little while ago!" Abby exclaimed.  
  
Susan sighed. "Okay, fine, just…fine. I'll see you later."  
  
With that, Susan walked off out of the room, once again leaving Abby by herself.  
  
"What is this, rag-on-Abby day?" she asked out loud.  
  
  
  
"Hi, Carter," Randi said sweetly to the Chief Resident.  
  
Carter looked up from his chart at the desk clerk.  
  
"Uh, hi, Randi," he replied. He  
  
"So…are you alright?" she asked, looking at him with interest.  
  
"Yeah…why wouldn't I be?" Carter inquired, cocking his head.  
  
"Well, it's just all this stuff you're going through right now."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "What stuff?"  
  
"Oh, you know…that stuff."  
  
"Okay…well, I'm going to pretend to know what you're talking about and say I'm fine."  
  
"Listen, I know about that thing with you and Curtain Three and all that crap. I was wondering what happened."  
  
Carter frowned. "How'd you find out about that?"  
  
"Um…that's not important," Randi said quickly.  
  
He sighed. "Well, Randi, if it wasn't so personal, I might have found the heart to tell you. But it is, so I don't."  
  
He picked up his chart and began to walk away. He paused and turned.  
  
"And Randi?" he called.  
  
"Uh-huh?" she asked, blowing a bubble with her gum.  
  
"You know when you and the nurses are gossiping? You might want to make sure that the person you're talking about isn't around. I can hear every word you're saying."  
  
Randi's eyes widened and she turned her head quickly, burying her head in a magazine to avoid his gaze. He smirked for a second and started walking.  
  
  
  
"Whoops! Oh, I'm sorry, Carter," Susan apologized when she bumped into him. She bent down to pick up his chart when she realized that he was doing the same thing. They bumped heads and straightened up again, rubbing the top of their heads.  
  
"Sorry," Carter laughed. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. You?"  
  
"I'm fine. Uh, maybe I should get that," he said, bending down to grab the chart.  
  
"You know, I just talked to Abby and she seemed a little upset…do you have any idea what that's about?"  
  
"Oh, um, I…I kind of snapped at her a little while ago. I was going insane with everyone asking me if I was okay, and…I took it out on her. Maybe she's mad at me about that."  
  
Susan shook her head, feeling uncertain. "I don't know, it didn't really…oh well, maybe I'm just over-analyzing it."  
  
Carter smiled. "I think I'll go talk to her about it. Apologize, you know?"  
  
"Yeah…hey, when do you get off?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Umm," he started, looking at his watch, "an hour and a half. Why?"  
  
"Well, I get off in an hour…you want some company tonight?"  
  
"That'd be nice, I guess…are you sure?"  
  
"Positive. I'll be waiting for you in the Lounge at 11:30."  
  
"Thanks, Susan, I really appreciate it."  
  
She shrugged. "It's not a problem."  
  
He took a hold of her hand and gave it a tight, friendly squeeze. "No, really. Thanks."  
  
He let go and went off to find Abby.  
  
  
  
"Abby, wait up!" Carter called to the nurse.  
  
She stopped abruptly and turned around with her hands on her hips. "Oh, first you want me to leave you alone and now you want to talk?"  
  
"Look, Abby, I wanted to apologize. I'm pretty upset and frustrated and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that and I'm sorry."  
  
Abby blinked. "What's with the sudden change of heart?"  
  
"Well, I was talking to Susan, and…"  
  
Abby rolled her eyes. "How did I know that her name would come up in this conversation?"  
  
"Abby, I…"  
  
"No, Carter, I really think you and Susan should get over yourselves and just get back together. It's obvious you want each other."  
  
He shook his head. "No, Abby, listen to me, I…"  
  
"Carter, please, I know what's going on here. I won't be upset if you and Susan become an item again. It's no skin off my back. In fact, I give you my blessing. So there. Go back to her. I'll see you later."  
  
She quickly walked away leaving a confused Carter standing frozen in his spot. Why was Abby acting like this?  
  
"What the hell?" he wondered to himself. 


End file.
